An Iterative Approach to Usability Evaluation: A Workplace Wellness Mobile Application Example.

Without a gold standard for mobile app usability testing, this paper outlines a case study of how a not-for-profit organization tested the usability of a public-facing mobile app designed to promote the health and wellbeing of workers in Canada by offering accessible resources conveniently through one's mobile phone. Although the app was developed by a third-party vendor, usability testing and refinement was left to the organization due to budgetary and time constraints. The app underwent three rounds of iterative usability testing.

Consumers' Needs for Laboratory Results Portals: Questionnaire Study.

Background: Over the last decade, there has been an increase in the number of health care consumers (ie, patients, citizens, and laypeople) with access to their laboratory results through portals. However, many portals are not designed with the consumer in mind, which can limit communication effectiveness and consumer empowerment.

Objective: We aimed to study design facilitators and barriers affecting consumer use of a laboratory results portal.

Why Do People Use Online Lab Results and What Do They Look For: A Qualitative Study.

Laboratory (lab) test results are increasingly available online for patient review. However, there is a dearth of research with respect to users' information needs, goals, and information processing strategies. In this exploratory qualitative study, we interviewed a sample of (N = 25) online lab results users to understand their objectives and search targets.

Patients' and Providers' Perspectives on and Needs of Telemonitoring to Support Clinical Management and Self-care of People at High Risk for Preeclampsia: Qualitative Study.

Background: Preeclampsia is one of the leading causes of maternal mortality worldwide, with a global prevalence at 2%-8% of pregnancies. Patients at high risk for preeclampsia (PHRPE) have an increased risk of complications, such as fetal growth restriction, preterm delivery, abnormal clotting, and liver and kidney disease. Telemonitoring for PHRPE may allow for timelier diagnosis and enhanced management, which may improve maternal and perinatal outcomes.

A User Experience and eHealth Literacy Inspection of a Lab Test Interpretation Mobile App for Citizens.

People are increasingly able to access their laboratory (lab) results using patient-facing portals. However, lab reports for citizens are often identical to those for clinicians; without specialized training they can be near impossible to interpret. In this study, we inspected a mobile health application (app) that converts traditional lab results into a citizen-centred format.

A Tale of Two Inspection Methods: Comparing an eHealth Literacy and User Experience Checklist with Heuristic Evaluation.

Adhering to user experience (UX) and eHealth literacy principles when developing consumer health information systems (HISs) can not only improve a user's experience but can also have implications on patient safety. Methods exist to explore these dimensions independently, but few methods are available for evaluating consumer (i.e.

COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in Canada: Content Analysis of Tweets Using the Theoretical Domains Framework.

Background: With the approval of two COVID-19 vaccines in Canada, many people feel a sense of relief, as hope is on the horizon. However, only about 75% of people in Canada plan to receive one of the vaccines.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to determine the reasons why people in Canada feel hesitant toward receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.

Assessing the quality of mobile applications in chronic disease management: a scoping review.

While there has been a rapid growth of digital health apps to support chronic diseases, clear standards on how to best evaluate the quality of these evolving tools are absent. This scoping review aims to synthesize the emerging field of mobile health app quality assessment by reviewing criteria used by previous studies to assess the quality of mobile apps for chronic disease management. A literature review was conducted in September 2017 for published studies that use a set of quality criteria to directly evaluate two or more patient-facing apps supporting promote chronic disease management.

Exploring the Use of Telemonitoring for Patients at High Risk for Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy in the Antepartum and Postpartum Periods: Scoping Review.

Background: High blood pressure complicates 2% to 8% of pregnancies, and its complications are present in the antepartum and postpartum periods. Blood pressure during and after pregnancy is routinely monitored during clinic visits. Some guidelines recommend using home blood pressure measurements for the management and treatment of hypertension, with increased frequency of monitoring for high-risk pregnancies.

Putting Guidelines in the Hands of Patients: A Heuristic Evaluation of a Consumer Mobile Application.

Preventive clinical practice guidelines are valuable. However, they are often difficult for primary care providers to implement in the time sensitive primary care setting and alternate approaches warrant exploration. An app called CANBeWell was developed in an effort to allow consumers to identify appropriate guidelines for themselves.

Advancing Telehealth Nursing Practice in Oncology: Factors Affecting Nurse Use of Electronic Symptom Management Guidelines.

Oncology, telehealth nursing practice is growing. There has been an increased use of telehealth systems to support patients living with cancer in the community. In this study we explore the impact of integrating electronic symptom management guidelines (eSMGs) and electronic health records (EHRs) upon oncology, telehealth nursing practice.

Designing a Mobile Health Application Prototype for the Management of Interstitial Cystitis/Painful Bladder Syndrome.

The design of an early mobile health application (app) prototype to manage interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome, a chronic condition characterized by recurrent pain/discomfort in the bladder and pelvic floor, is described. The purpose of this app prototype is to help people who have IC/PBS manage and learn what triggers their symptoms. Another aim of this research was to provide an example of how sex and gender could be included into the design of a health information system.

Usability and eHealth Literacy Evaluation of a Mobile Health Application Prototype to Track Diagnostic Imaging Examinations.

In the absence of a pan-Canadian electronic health record, unnecessary duplicate diagnostic imaging (DI) examinations are sometimes ordered when a physician is not aware of prior DI or prior DI is not available. Research suggests that physicians may ask their patient to recall their DI history; however, patient recall of DI can be unreliable. As a potential solution, a patient-facing mobile health application (app) prototype was developed for users to record their DI.

Isolating the Effects of a Mobile Phone on the Usability and Safety of eHealth Software Applications.

Mobile phones are used in conjunction with mobile eHealth software applications. These mobile software applications can be used to access, review and document clinical information. The objective of this research was to explore the relationship between mobile phones, usability and safety.

Integrating Electronic Health Record Competencies into Undergraduate Health Informatics Education.

In this paper we report on our findings arising from a qualitative, interview study of students' experiences in an undergraduate health informatics program. Our findings suggest that electronic health record competencies need to be integrated into an undergraduate curriculum. Participants suggested that there is a need to educate students about the use of the EHR, followed by best practices around interface design, workflow, and implementation with this work culminating in students spearheading the design of the technology as part of their educational program of study.

Nurse practitioners changing health behaviours: one patient at a time.

In 2005, legislation was enacted allowing nurse practitioners (NPs) to practise in British Columbia, Canada. Although substantial human and financial resources had been dedicated to the implementation of the role, no evaluation has been conducted to date. As part of a larger multiphase, mixed-methods study design, which evaluated the integration of NPs into the British Columbia healthcare system, this article describes findings related to changes that result for patients and the implications for the healthcare system when NPs become part of the care process.

Nurse Practitioner Perceptions of the Impact of Electronic Medical Records Upon Clinical Practice.

A survey was conducted in the province of British Columba, Canada with nurse practitioners (NP). This paper reports on the quantitative and qualitative findings of the survey questions specifically focused on NP perceptions of the clinical impacts associated with using electronic medical records (EMRs) in a primary care setting. Findings suggest that although NPs perceived EMRs to improve the overall quality of clinical decisions, challenges remain in terms of tailoring the design of EMRs to address NP needs.

Physician Experiences with Perceived Pressure to Order Diagnostic Imaging Services.

The overuse of diagnostic imaging (DI) services, which is estimated to be 30% in Canada, can expose patients to unnecessary radiation, and strain human and financial resources. This study explored the DI ordering practices of physicians in Canada through semi-structured interviews to gain a deeper understanding of the factors contributing to the overuse of DI services. The majority of participants (n=11; 91%) described feeling pressured by patients to order DI services in circumstances that were unwarranted.

Evidence-based Heuristics for Evaluating Demands on eHealth Literacy and Usability in a Mobile Consumer Health Application.

Heuristic evaluations have proven to be valuable for identifying usability issues in systems. Commonly used sets of heuritics exist; however, they may not always be the most suitable, given the specific goal of the analysis. One such example is seeking to evaluate the demands on eHealth literacy and usability of consumer health information systems.

Mobile Usability Testing in Healthcare: Methodological Approaches.

The use of mobile devices and healthcare applications is increasing exponentially worldwide. This has lead to the need for the healthcare industry to develop a better understanding of the impact of the usability of mobile software and hardware upon consumer and health professional adoption and use of these technologies. There are many methodological approaches that can be employed in conducting usability evaluation of mobile technologies.

Using a mixed-methods design to examine nurse practitioner integration in British Columbia.

Aim: To discuss and provide examples of how mixed-methods research was used to evaluate the integration of nurse practitioners (NPs) into a Canadian province.

Background: Legislation enabling NPs to practise in British Columbia (BC) was enacted in 2005. This research evaluated the integration of NPs and their effect on the BC healthcare system.

The role of technology in reducing unnecessary duplicate diagnostic imaging examinations.

Unnecessarily repeating diagnostic imaging (DI) examinations can expose patients to additional radiation and place pressures on human and financial resources in healthcare. Through a qualitative study, non-radiologist physicians were interviewed about their ordering practices. This included questioning participants about how they would determine if a DI examination had already been performed or scheduled to take place.

Diagnostic imaging ordering practices: physician perspectives and implications for decision support.

This study explored how referring physicians order diagnostic imaging (DI) services, and possible methods to reduce inappropriate ordering. Telephone interviews were conducted with non-radiologist physicians (general practitioners and specialists). Interview data were analyzed using grounded theory.

Do electronic health records help undergraduate students develop health informatics competencies?

In this paper we describe the effects of hands-on exposure to an educational electronic health record (EHR) system upon undergraduate health informatics (HI) student competency development. We undertook a quasi-experimental study (i.e.

How are electronic medical records used by nurse practitioners?

In this paper we describe how nurse practitioners (NPs) use electronic medical records (EMR) features and functions at: (1) an individual and (2) a clinic level to support patient wellness and chronic disease management activities. Fifteen NPs from British Columbia (BC), Canada participated in a qualitative, semi-structured interview study. NPs used EMRs with individual patients and at a clinic level to support wellness and chronic disease management activities.